Cats and newborns

My wife and I have four cats, and other than the recent noisy fighting/playing, they are generally good pets.

One cat, however, has a strange behavior. Tama, about 3 yrs old, HATES strangers. She is a relatively normal cat to my wife and me - friendly, and mostly non-aggressive (though she likes to bite feet ).

But when a stranger enters the house, she treats them like an enemy. She does not attack them outright, but will swipe at their legs from uder the table, and hisses or tries to swipe them if them come near her. She almost lures them in, as she does not put on an aggressive look; often she'll even sniff a stranger's hand in a friendly way before taking aggressive aim at them.

We are VERY concerned about this behavior, as we are going to have our first child in about 6 months, and do not want the baby attacked or scratched.

Tama has never warmed up to a guest, no matter how long they have stayed with us. It's as though we are the only people she is willing to trust at all.

What can we do to curb this behavior? If it cannot be completely eliminated, that's fine - we warn our guests not to touch the "psycho cat" anyway .

But we don't want to be forced to get rid of this cat for the baby's safety.

Thanks!

~nej

Try reading this article by the Humane Society about introducing pets to a new baby. It has some great information on how to make the introduction successful.

Thanks for the link! It will come in handy when my wife and I start a family in the near future.

I read that link.

I'm concerned, and think you have a right to be. I also think it's 'smart thinking' to notice this behavior could become a threat.

Yes, it's a problem with the way the cat behaves, 'attacking' pets are NOT good pets in my opinion. You really needed to address this lunging (attacking feet, what have you) earlier if you want it to remain in your home with a newborn in 6 months. Not only will you be contending with sibling rivalry issues, but then a behavioral problem specific to violence toward unknown/unwelcome strangers (which is exactly what that baby is).

Why assume anything else? If this cat acts like this with any and all strangers, what would make you think it would suddenly stop with the baby?

The cat's got a poor attitude for a pet. Maybe it needs a new home. I'm not one to risk damage to the infant for the cat's contentment. Good news -- you have 6 months to find a friend looking for a furry freak .